Sheva Alomar

Installments in the Resident Evil take an inordinate time to incubate.

But that’s easy to understand seeing as how the franchise has become Capcom’s crown jewel. The series has spawned numerous spin-offs and a moderately successful set of films. The company takes the most care with it, sometimes scrapping different iterations just so that it can get just the right mix of survival and horror.

With Resident Evil 5, the series continues to evolve as it focuses on Chris Redfield and his story.

In the demo I played, the former Raccoon City officer is working Africa as part of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. He witnesses an execution first hand and must survive long enough to be picked via airlift. It’s basically a siege mission, but to help him out, Chris has an extra hand in the form of Sheva Alomar, a fellow BSAA agent.

The control scheme is a mix of Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War. Players can switch weapons in real time using the directional pad. They have to aim by holding the one of the shoulder buttons. There’s an action button for climbing and jumping.

Folks expecting to run and gun should be playing another game.

But the most important button may be circle or B (depending on the system). This is the team action/call partner button, and frankly, I didn’t use it that much. I was too busy trying fend off a crowd of infected villagers, trying to get in the cottage I hid out in.

The demo showed off the destructable environments. The villagers now break throw doors and pour in throw windows. I followed Sheva’s lead and shot wherever she fired. It’s a system that worked well. Sometimes when I was messing around wi th the controls, I accidentally gave her some ammo.

I don’t think she bothered to help me. It’s either that or I forgot to press the team action/call partner button. After being overwhelmed, we moved out into the village proper, avoiding the giant ax man who performed the execution.

Blowing up cannisters of gas helped keep the hatchet man at bay. But eventually, he destroyed the shops and stalls I was hiding behind, and forced my character and Sheva atop a pair of platforms. I didn’t really get a sense of what the team element had to offer. Perhaps, Capcom will flesh it out a little more next time.